The operational components of an injection molding machine usually include a stock supply assembly, an extruder assembly, an injection assembly, a mold pallet assembly, and a clamping assembly. In a typical molding process, the stock supply assembly supplies a certain amount of stock material to the extruder assembly. The extruder assembly plasticizes the stock material into an injection material and conveys a measured amount, or "shot", to the injection assembly. The injection assembly then injects the material into a complete mold cavity formed by the mold pallet assembly and the clamping assembly provides the force necessary for successful molding.
The mold pallet assembly is usually formed by two selectively joinable/separable mold platen units. In most injection molding machines, at least one of the mold platen units is movable. When an injection molding machine is used in an insert molding procedure, the mold platen units are initially separated and an unfinished product is loaded into one of the mold platen units. The movable mold platen unit is then joined together with the stationary mold platen unit to form a mold cavity. Once the mold cavity has been formed, the shot of injection material is then injected and the clamping assembly provides the necessary force to hold the mold pallet assembly together. The movable mold platen unit is then separated from the stationary mold platen unit and the molded product is unloaded from the mold cavity.
In such a molding procedure, the injection molding machine is idle for significant periods of time because once the molding process has been completed, a subsequent molding process cannot begin until loading/unloading steps are performed. Thus, the machine remains idle during these loading/unloading steps.